Sacramento daily record-union., 1887-08-13
TE.S CHATSWORTH HORROR.
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE AW.
Full DISASTER.
Evidence that 1t was the Work of
Robbers-The InQuest-Touch-
ing Incidents-Etc
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE RECORD uslos.l !

CHATswoRTH, August 12th.-P Mn
addition to the eighty-six or eighty-seven
known to be dead, there were three
wounded at Chatsworth whom the physi-
clans pronounced to be beyond recovery.
and they lay in the Town Hall and were
being cared for by relatives or kind SYM
pathizers in every way possible. These
three are Mrs. c. H. Clark, of Rootstown.
o.; Mrs. Mary Valdeio, of Peoria, and
Harry B. Lawrence, of Burlington, La.
The list of wounded is necessarily incom-
plete, and the full extent of the injuries
will probab'y y n ever be known. The wo-
men of Chatworth have done everything
possible for the wounded people,
thirty of whom still lie in the
Town Hall. and several at private
houses. AT the depot and other places,
where the dead lay. there were many sad
scenes to-day. Anxious relatives arrived
from towns along the line and began to
search for their friends among mangled and
CHASTITY corpses. Husbands were looking
for wives, parents for children, and sons
for parents. Among these was ] Kelly, of
Breeds Station, a young man, looking for
| his father and uncle. He looked in vain
| among the dead bodies for his relatives.
| but when he appealed to the Coroner he
was shown the dead body of his father.
Job P. Kelly. The son could not recognize
the mutilated features, but later in the dav
4 a / H.
wounded, lying in the Town Hall.
| The body of Paul Sackenecuter, of Pc
kin, has not yet been certainly identified.
| One OF his workmen, John Zeidler is
among the killed. His head was crushed
from both sides, so that the features were
entirely unrecognizable. The BODY of Mrs.
S. A. Mcclure and her infant, from Keiths-
burg, have been identified among the dead
| lying in the schooi-house. The last BODY
was removed from there to-day. 1t was
that OF Mrs. Stoddard, of Fort Madison, la.
| Another body Identified during the night
| was that of Mrs. Rode Blandin, nee Flo
renee, of Parker's Corners, Ill. Her hus-
band arrived on a late train, found her
body and shipped it home. Mrs. Bandin
had with her her two little daughters, Ida
and Berthe. The former has one of her
| hips crushed, but Berthe is but slightly
| injured. Side by side in the depot This
morning lay the dead bodies of f. r. Hill
| and his wife and baby, from Berwick. Ill.
| The babe was placed on his mothers breast
in rough pine box, and the family sent
on its return trip home. Among the un
claimed and unnamed is the body of a
| Peoria bootblack.
EVIDENCES OF FOUL PLAY.
CHATswoRTH Qll.), August 12th.-Some
sensational features were developed this
morning as to the cause of the Chatsworth
wreck. Rumors were afioat last night that
it was due to robbers, who fred the bridge.
Little credence was given them. This
morning new facts, apparently showing the
| catastrophe to have been the work of an or
| ganized band have come to light, and the
company find them worthy of investiga-
| ton. Superintendent Armstrong said TO
| the Associated Press reporter that the more
he investigated the more it appeared to him
| that the bridge had been set on fire. He
had observed many thieves at work, and
had stopped them while despoiling the
wreck of property, and many instances OF
robbing the dead were being brought to his
attention. The excursion had been ex-
tensively advertised, and the time it would
pass over the bridge was well known. Cit
liens say that
GANG OF SUSPICIOUS FELLOWS
Had been lettering around Chatsworth for
some days. Many of these were found
early at the wreck paying more attention
| to relieving the bodies of valuables than To
caring for them. Train-men and passen-
| gers had frequent contentious with the
vandals. In one instance Superintendent
Armstrong found a well-known thief in
the depot-room where property taken from
the wreck was stored. While the people
OF the town have done all in their power
tor the sufferers, there is a horde of tramps
and thieves in the vicinity who do nothing
but carry off anything they can Law hands
| on.
TIE HORRORS OF THE CHAgswoRTH WRECK
Seem deepening this morning, instead OF
lessenlng. To add to the pitiable spectacle
of the miseries of the dying, stencil sick
ening and foul was issuing from all the
numerous places where the corpses were.
No picture OF the horrible occurrences i'm
mediately succeeding the accident could
equal in revolving details the scene at the
depot here to-day. The west end of the
structure is coal-house and lumber
| room, where, promiscuously stretched
on the floor, in the coal and rubbish. are
seven unidentified bodies. Blood stained
| bedraggled sheets and blankets are thrown
| loosely over each, but afford little protec.
| ton from the swarms of flies continually
| lowering over them. The awful odor COM
| ing from the bodies..has kept the room clear
| of all but the hardest of the still lingering
| curious and anxious crowd Two of the
victims were women, and the sight of their
| faces was one never to be forgotten. At7
o'clock Master Mechanic Warren, with a
| wrecking train and a large force of men.
were at work, confident that the track
| would be clear by noon, and are certain
| that all the bodies have been removed from
| the wreck.
| THE RAILROAD OFFICIALS
President Leonard, Superintendent Arm
| strong and other officials were seen this
| morning. They have given their devoted
attention to the relief of the injured and the
care of the dead. Both show signs OF the
terrible shock which the accident has been
| to them. President Leonard said that so
| far as the railroad officials could estimate
there about so killed and 100 seriously
| wounded. There are many who yere
! slightly injured of whom no record had
been obtained. Leonard said that as near
| as could be aseertained the train was max
! ing about 80 miles an hour at the time OF
the accident-not an unusual rate of speed,
as the track was in good condition.
| The bridge, an ordinary fifteen-foot
wooden structa,re, was all right at o'clock
IN the afternoon, when a train passed over
II, and half an hour later the section meu
Inspected it, and it was then all right.
THE aSBeNER's JcZY.
| 'GHATswoRTH, August 12th.-At the morn
ing session of the Goroner's Jury some de-
eidedly significant testimony was given.
timothy Cougbiin, section foreman, testi-
| he'd that he had four men helping him on
his-sax and half miles. He received Or
| ders On Wednesday to go overrais section
and see that the bridges and track were all
| right. Coughlin went to the e6st end of
the section and burned the grass aiong the
track tcr half a mile. The burned piece
was little over half mile frcm the
wreck. ard be put the ere out. aIe ex-